ALLEGHENY COUNTY – May 9, 2008 What can you expect?
In the next two hours… • An overview of the task force • A video and verbal overview of our region’s water-related problems • Overview of southwestern Pennsylvania’s current institutional system • Exploration of multi-governmental collaboration • Public input on problems and regional models Task Force Background
Over the last decade, several regional studies have provided extensive information on our region’s water and sewage problems. These efforts have consistently recommended regional collaboration to adequately confront our problems. The Regional Water Management Task Force was formed to begin achieving consensus on action steps. Representation/Scope
Diverse, high-level representation from 11 southwestern Pennsylvania counties Appointed with input from county commissioners and state legislators Chair – Dr. Jared Cohon President, Carnegie Mellon University Vice Chair – Dr. Angelo Armenti President, California University of Pennsylvania Dr. Jared Cohon 15 additional members from throughout the region Public Water and Public Sewage Services in Southwestern Pennsylvania Mission
Solving our region’s water-related problems in a way that best serves our citizens • Protect the public’s health, ensure environmental sustainability, provide for the region’s economic vitality, and avoid costly regulatory actions Institutional not technical project • Public engagement to determine consensus • Implementation Our water seems fine…
The region has made great strides, BUT…
Southwestern Pennsylvania continues to face one of the worst combinations of water problems in the nation. Water Quality has Improved, but Many Problems Remain
70’s 90’s 900% 800% 700% 600% 500% 400% 300% 200% Drinking 100% Water 0% Standard Industrial Fecal Industrial Fecal Metals Coliform Metals Coliform
Source: Analysis of U.S.G.S. data monitoring Problems Sewage
An urban problem • combined and sanitary sewer overflows And a rural problem • malfunctioning septic systems Wildcat sewers Sewage Overflows From Sewers Into Our Rivers and Streams
By design…
…and by failure. Combined Sewer Overflows SW PA Has Among the Worst Sewage Overflow Problem in the U.S.
States with the Most Combined Sewer Overflows Communities RANK STATE CSOS with CSOs 1 Pennsylvania 1,631 2 Ohio 1,378 3 New York 1,032 4 Indiana 876 Combined Sewer Overflows by 5 Illinois 742 Region 6 West Virginia 681 RANK PA REGION CSOS 7 Missouri 451 1 Southwest 763 8 Kentucky 288 2 Northeast 349 3 Southeast 211 Massachusetts 278 9 4 North Central 125 10 Michigan 262 5 South Central 118 6 Northwest 65 TOTAL 1631 Sewage Overflows Exist Throughout the Region States with the Most Combined Sewer Overflows Communities RANK STATE CSOS with CSOs 1 Pennsylvania 1,631 2 Ohio 1,378 3 New York 1,032 4 Indiana 876 Southwest PA 763 5 Illinois 742 1 0 6 West Virginia 681 19 7 Missouri 451 17 22 8 Kentucky 288 413 Number of CSOs 9 Massachusetts 278 140 by County 10 Michigan 262 62 2 72 15 Major Rivers are Unsafe for Bodily Contact 4 Out of Every 5 Days
Allegheny County Health Department CSO Warnings May 15 - September 30 100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0% 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Sanitary Sewer Overflows – 600+ Each Year Another Sewage Problem: On-lot septic system malfunction 300,000 Homes Are Not on Public Sewers…
Allegheny Armstrong Beaver Butler Fayette Greene Indiana Lawrence Somerset Washington Westmoreland
- 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0% Allegheny Armstrong Beaver Butler Fayette Greene Indiana Lawrence Somerset Washington Westmoreland Human waste disposal methods by county in southwestern Pennsylvania. Black (centralized WWTP); gray (on-site systems); white (“other;” e.g., cesspools, straight pipes) …but most of SWPA is Unsuitable for Conventional On-lot Systems
USDA Soil Surveys show most of our soil does not support the use of traditional septic systems.
Limited Slight or Use No Limitation Thousands of Homes Have No Sewage Treatment At All
As many as 27,000 homes in SWPA discharge untreated sewage directly into streets or streams. SW PA Has Worst Contamination Problems in Ohio River Basin % Water Samples Violating Safe Contact Standards for Fecal Coliform/E. coli, 2006 Problems Flooding and Stormwater
Between 1955 and 2000, PA’s median yearly flood damage was $9.5 million $4.4 billion in cumulative damages Southwest PA has been declared a federal disaster area due to flooding 7 times since 1984 Continuing disconnect between land use and stormwater will only worsen these problems September, 2004
Problems Abandoned Mine Drainage
2,800 of 4,000 miles of PA’s AMD degraded streams are located in the Ohio River basin. Moreover, northern West Virginia has 1,100 abandoned mines discharging into the Monongahela River watershed.
Only some of our problems…
Sewage, AMD and stormwater are only three of our region’s many problems Others include water main breaks, aging infrastructure, industrial pollution… In a recent task force poll, 49% of respondents reported being directly affected by at least one of the region’s water problems Holistic approach needed Why should we care?
Water does not recognize human or political boundaries • Affects all of our region’s residents • Urban and rural • Regardless of age, sex, race or income level Why should we care?
Significant costs of inaction • While there have been no recent outbreaks of waterborne disease, our current situation is extremely vulnerable • Imposed limits on growth and development due to inadequate infrastructure • State and federal regulatory actions, which will lead to even greater costs With aging infrastructure, our problems will only get worse The status quo is at best untenable – • Neither safe, economically beneficial, nor legal for us to continue in this manner Water is One of Southwestern PA’s Greatest Regional Assets Ohiopyle Recreation Tourism Economic Kittanning Development National Security Quality of Life Pittsburgh Beaver These important problems must be confronted aggressively, but significant obstacles exist to fixing them. Huge Cost of Addressing the Needs
Existing sewer systems $8.0 billion New sewer systems $0.5 billion Septic system upgrades $0.5 billion Total need $9 billion
DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR NEEDED WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, AMD, AND STORMWATER MONIES Our Financing Approach Makes Improving the Systems Difficult Some public needs are broadly funded through taxes (e.g. education, welfare, roads) Others are funded by insurance (health care) Water and sewage system funding through direct user expenditures with less state or federal monies • Applies to both public and on-lot systems The Causes of the Problems Are Complex and Regional Water Quality Problems Pittsburgh Downstream… …Are Caused by problems Upstream in Different Communities, Counties, and States
Surface Water Intake Ground Water Intake CSO Outfalls Malfunctioning Septics
Morgantown Over 1,000 Different Entities and 1,100,000+ Homes Responsible 11 Counties 601 Municipalities 268 Authorities Many other jurisdictions 1,140,300 Households Number of Authorities by County
50 47
40 38
30 30 28 29 24 20 19
12 12 12 10 10
0
Butler Beaver Fayette Greene Indiana Allegheny Lawrence Somerset Armstrong Washington Westmoreland Number of People per Authority
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Butler Beaver Fayette Greene Indiana Allegheny Lawrence Somerset Armstrong Washington Westmoreland Number of Square Miles per Authority
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Butler Beaver Fayette Greene Indiana Allegheny Lawrence Somerset Armstrong Washington Westmoreland Some of these entities are doing well…and some not doing so well Deteriorating infrastructure • Average age is increasing • Large disparity in investment Lack of planning Sewage discharges overlooked Corrective action plans, consent orders, tap in restrictions Aging workforce Cooperation Takes Many Forms
As a region, we value the autonomy of municipalities and there are strengths to this system which can be capitalized on However, sometimes we pay a cost Not local ineptitude but regional inefficiency • Water is a multi-municipal problem Nuances of regional approaches to regional problems • Not about losing identity or voice Task Force does not have a preconceived solution, but rather trying to determine the best way to proceed • because we all live downstream… Regional approaches can work…
Examples in the region • Indiana County Municipal Services Authority (ICMSA) • Bundles investments to get best funding, solving serious problems, enjoys economy of scale • Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC) • Efficiently interconnected water systems • Consolidated infrastructure and expertise in both water and sewage • 3 Rivers Wet Weather, Inc. • Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) Regional approaches can work…
Other metro areas: • Milwaukee (Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission) • Minneapolis-St. Paul (Metropolitan Council) • Cleveland (Northeastern Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency) • Atlanta (Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District) How multi-municipal collaboration might help us Efficiency • Operations and management • Shared equipment, technology and personnel Money • Greater access to funding • Coordinated investment Equity • Greater ability to work out problems on a watershed basis • Stabilized, appropriate and common fees • Shared planning regarding future water decisions • Upstream/downstream, Long term sustainability Regulatory Relief Models for Input
These models are offered simply to give you a clearer sense of the possibilities and should not be interpreted as recommendations. 4 models constructed to aid in public input process Evaluation Criteria
Ranked in order of importance • Efficiency/cost • Environmental protection/sustainability • Accountability • Leadership • Security • Equity • Regional Competitiveness • (Political Feasibility) Model A – Regional Planning
“Southwestern PA Regional Water District” Integrated and comprehensive regional water planning • Recommendations on sewage service areas, which problems should be addressed first and by which means… Per capita tax to support planning functions No specific enforcement power Model B – Regional Planning and Financing “Southwestern PA Regional Water District” Integrated and comprehensive regional water planning Per capita tax to support planning functions Taxing authority to create regional water trust fund Pooling federal, state and local dollars to confront problems in coordinated fashion Local and regional water plans required Model C – Watershed/County Operations and Planning Creation of multiple authorities on watershed or county basis Each authority would complete enforceable water resource plans for its area Taxing authority for infrastructure investment Transfer of system ownership and/or operations to authority would be permissible Creation of regional coordinating committee Model D – Incentives for Decentralized Collaboration “SWPA Water Management Advisory Committee” • Include participation from all local, regional, state and federal stakeholders Best Management Practices collection and circulation Review of specific problems or situations and provides recommendations for solving Could occur under current situation… Mix and Match Components
Local operation of systems would continue Incentives for multi-jurisdictional collaboration Governance of each model could be established in any number of ways Technical assistance on a regional level Education efforts on water/sewage issues Data collection and analysis of water and water systems Advocacy on behalf of the region to state and federal government Evaluation Criteria
Ranked in order of importance • Efficiency/cost • Environmental protection/sustainability • Accountability • Leadership • Security • Equity • Regional Competitiveness • (Political Feasibility) Phase II Goal
Production of a highly specific proposal for water planning/management in southwestern Pennsylvania with an implementation strategy. Task Force will remain focused on seeking institutional solutions that will improve planning and management in the region Task Force Timeline and Plans Questions/comments
Ty Gourley, Project Manager [email protected] 412-624-7792 (W) 412-721-5142 (C) www.iop.pitt.edu/water Sign up for our email distribution list Additional public meetings/individual presentations available SW PA is the Most Reliable Watershed in the U.S.
Drought Area Drought Watch Area Drought Status in April, 2002 Water is Vital to our Quality of Life